Arabic-L:LING:khawaja

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 21 Jan 2002
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1) Subject: khawaja
2) Subject: khawaja
3) Subject: khawaja

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1)
Date:  21 Jan 2002
From: mnaggar at sympatico.ca
Subject: khawaja

Merriam Webster gives a comprehensive definition:

***
Main Entry:kho£ja
Variant:or kho£jah  \*k*j*\
Function:noun
Inflected Form:-s
Etymology:Turkish & Persian; Turkish hoca, from Persian khw*ja

1 also    ho£dja \*h*-\   a : a member of any of various classes (as wealthy
merchants) in Muslim lands —  used as a title of respect  b : a Muhammadan
teacher
2 capitalized   [Hindi [*oja, from Persian khw*ja] India   : a member of an
Ismaili sect surviving as a subsect of the ancient Assassins

***

Now, It has since been used in Egypt and the Sudan to denote a (Western)
foreigner (presumed Christian), even using the feminine khawajaya for
ladies. Some natives of fairer complexion were also mistaken for Khawajas,
much to their embarrasment.  As to how it found its way to Egypt and the
Sudan to mean a different thing, I wonder.

Michel Naggar
mnaggar at sympatico.ca
Montreal, Canada

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2)
Date:  21 Jan 2002
From: Srpko Lestaric <srpkole at EUnet.yu>
Subject: khawaja

xawja (khawja, xuuja), n. masc. pl. --aat = religious teacher (< Tur. hoca,
hace < Pers. xaaje). Later on it became a general title of respect, meaning
"a man of a higher rank" (cf. also: xawja al-safiina = a purser).

The Sudanese xawaaja (khawaaja) should be of the same origin. One of Its
meanings becomes celar in Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North:
"hal 'ansatak 'iqaamatuk al-Tawiila fi 'injiltara al-3arabi, 'am taHsib
'annana xawaajaat?" (in Denys Johnson-Davies' splendid translation: "Has
your long stay in England made you forget Arabic or do you reckon we've
become anglicized?")

The entry is found in Badawi's Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic (= teacher,
p.268), but not in Woodhead & Beene's dictionary of Iraqi Arabic.

In mu3jam al-lugha al-3aammiyya al-baghdaadiyya -- ta'liif al-shayx jalaal
al-Hanafi al-baghdaadi, vol.2, daar al-rashiid li-l-nashr, baghdaad 1982,
p.539: xawja = mu3allim al-qur'aan; wa al-xawja 'ayDan laqab kull yahuudi;
wa fi 'amthaalihim "xawja 3ali mulla 3ali" li-l-shay' huwa huwa.

The word is still in use in many Arab lands, but sounds old fashioned, more
or less, depending on the social environment.

Srpko Lestaric

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3)
Date:  21 Jan 2002
From: Vehbi Baysan <vbaysan at yahoo.com>
Subject: khawaja

In the Ottoman Empire, religious school (Medrese) teachers and in the
19th century, public school teachers were called "Hoca". The word is
written in Arabic script as 'Khawaja'. It is originally Persian. The
Hoca was well respected in the Turkish society and it may well
arrived Sudan through Turks.

Salamat,

Vehbi Baysan


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End of Arabic-L:  21 Jan 2002